Programme description

The development of emotion and cognition, and the relationship to the developing brain, lie at the forefront of scientific enquiry. Key questions are: How does intelligent behaviour emerge over the course of childhood development? How do cognition and emotion interact and affect behaviour across development? How does autism or deafness affect emotional development? How does the brain develop to shape our mind, thoughts and behaviour? Emotion, cognition, and their interaction, are manifested at various behavioural levels and in different brain systems. Hence, multi-method approaches are used to address the complex and dynamic interplay between emotion, cognition and the developing brain.

Curriculum

Compulsory coursework

The compulsory coursework consists of advanced training in academic and research skills. The design and placement of these modules is designed in such a way that students can immediately apply their newly acquired skills to their own research project. This methodologically-oriented part of the curriculum consists of 9 modules.

Track coursework

The obligatory coursework consists of four theoretical modules which will provide the basis for understanding changes in cognitive and affective systems across childhood and adolescence. These modules can be combined with elective modules from other programmes, allowing an interdisciplinary perspective on development.

(Track-specific) Electives

Students can further specialize in their area of interest by choosing
20 EC from a wide range of relevant courses offered by other research master specializations and the 1-year MSc program in Psychology.
Students are responsible for verifying whether an elective course fits into their schedule of compulsory coursework. Research master students have access to all extensive courses offered in the 1-year MSc program, and to intensive courses on the condition that there are places available for additional students. Students who wish to take electives outside the Institute of Psychology (or outside Leiden
University) are required to ask approval from the Board of Examiners of the Institute of Psychology.